Sunday, December 22, 2013

Protein
Crumblies® is nature’s best source of nutritional calories for feeding the
soil. Derived from selected vegetable proteins, Soil Secrets has selected this
product for the best ratios of amino acids that can provide the highest protein
efficiency value possible. The protein also provides a source of slow release
Nitrogen that can be used by both plants and soil microorganisms.

Trees
That Please Nursery uses Protein Crumblies® as part of its plant feeding (fertilization)
program twice annually at both the Retail Nursery and Arboretum.

To learn more about Protein Crumblies® visit the
Soil Secrets website at:

Friday, December 20, 2013

Earth Magic®
(Commercial Grade TerraPro) is a unique concentrated humus product that
contains a broad spectrum of beneficial mycorrhizae fungi and soil enzymes
along with a high percentage of Humic Acids. The formulation of Humic Acids in
this product is guaranteed to have unique biological and chemical
characteristics that will provide exceptional benefits to any soil. The
objective of this product is to fortify the soil with the best humic acid
product possible at the highest concentration possible; because they are
powerful biologics that can jump start the life of your soil. In addition, a
full blend of both Endo (VAM) and Ecto type mycorrhizal spores are included in
Commercial Grade TerraPro at a spore count of 50,000 spores per 1000 sq. ft. if
used at label rate.

Consider an Oak Tree for that someone special. Oak trees
are long-lived so your gift will be remembered and cherished for many years.
New Mexico is home to numerous native oak tree species. Some are fast growing,
up to 4’ per year, while others are slow, maybe 12” per season.

Amongst the New Mexico Native oaks are evergreens
including the Gray Oak which can reach 40’-45’ tall and wide.

Looking for color? Consider the Chisos Red Oak, fast
growing, with a mature canopy of up to 35’-40’ tall and wide. The Chisos Red
Oak produces a magnificent red-maroon fall color which is a rare find amongst
native New Mexico tree species.

Trees That Please Nursery has discounted all our Oak Trees 25%.
For example, our 5 gallon Oaks are regularly $39 but with a 25% discount they
are only $29.25 before taxes which makes them a very affordable gift. Larger
Oaks in 15 gallon containers or Root Control Bags are also available and
discounted!

A partial listing of the Oaks we propagate include:

Bur Oak

Chinquapin Oak

Gambel Oak

Chisos Red Oak

Mexican Blue Oak

Turbinella Oak

Gray Oak

Escarpment Live Oak

Texas Red Oak

Fendler Oak

Arizona White Oak

Come in and check out our Oaks. They make great shade
trees and we’re sure to have one with a mature canopy to fit your landscape
needs.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

The Desert Christmas Cholla (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis)
produces small fruits which turn red or red-orange during winter, typically in
December. To some these colored fruits resemble small Christmas ornaments.

The Desert Christmas Cholla, a New Mexico Native, has
slender stems and grows to about 2’ to 3’ tall and wide. This cholla is best grown
in full sun on well-drained soils with only occasional watering. It produces
cream colored flowers and is Hardy to USDA zone 6.

Trees That Please Nursery propagates the Desert Christmas
Cholla and has them available in 1 or 5 gallon containers. The Desert Christmas
Cholla makes a great Christmas Gift and
addition to the low water – low maintenance landscape.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Another benefit, but not the only benefit of the mycorrhizal fungi
No Till relationship is that of 'Humic Recalcitrant Carbon Molecule' production
in the soil. That's the stuff that's black in color and which gives a top
soil its characteristic darker color. It's also the stuff that by bad
habit the entire industry generically calls humic acids.
The term humic acid (or acids) does not describe specific molecular
structures and the term does not follow the rules of chemistry
nomenclature. However since our State Regulatory offices use this old fashion
term and have very vague methods of measuring the stuff, we are stuck with
using the term for now. When Nature builds these amazing
carbon molecules, or you supplement them by adding soil conditioners such as
TerraPro by Soil Secrets, the molecules involved play a huge role in building
macro-aggregate structure. This is caused by the polarity value of
the molecules causing a 'mechanism of action' (MOA).
See the image below which shows a collapsed, dispersed clay that has been
reclaimed by using TerraPro, so it now has good macro aggregate
structure.

Being Recalcitrant, these carbon molecules have a long life
expectancy in the soil as they do not decay back into CO 2 like compost,
manure and mulches will do. So back to the question of Till or Not
to Till? Where do the Humic Recalcitrant molecules come from in the soil?
I'm convinced that they do not come directly from the decay of dead things,
such as compost, manures and mulches. More specifically I believe
they are coming from the precursor amino acids of the proteins found in the
hyphae of the mycorrhizal fungal tissues. Another reason to inoculate
with quality mycorrhizal products and Not to Till!

Click on the following link to learn more about Soil Secrets “White
Lightning” mycorrhizal inoculant:

The concept of no-till is to favor the proliferation of
mycorrhizal fungal roots on the roots of the crop. The mycorrhizae
produce a vast network of fungus roots called hyphae that are microscopic,
however they are of critical importance in holding the soil structure together
in what we call macro-aggregate structure.They are also responsible for many other benefits to the host
plant, but for now let’s stick to the soil structure benefit. The slide below
shows this soil fungal hyphae relationship.

When we plow or till soil we clobber this relationship, making it
difficult for mycorrhizal fungi to perpetuate in an agricultural setting for
very long, resulting in most agriculture crops not being mycorrhizal.
This includes organic farms as well!

Beyond the physical characteristic of the fungal hyphae gluing the
soil macro-aggregate structure together, the hyphae also contain huge amounts
of Nitrogen, which potentially is the single largest contributor of that
element to the Soil Food Web. How do we know this, because research has
measured the fungal tissues at 10% Nitrogen, a big number when
compared to the many approved organic fertilizers on the market. For
example, liquid fish is only 2% Nitrogen, a very expensive way to get
Nitrogen into the system. Protein Crumblies, a product of Soil Secrets is
8% Nitrogen and a much more affordable way of getting organic nitrogen into the
system, when supplemental nitrogen is needed! So if you inoculate
your crop seed every year with a mycorrhizal product like Soil Secrets “White
Lightning” you will most likely have an abundance of mycorrhizal tissues always
cycling in the soil contributing Nitrogen while they are also gluing the soil
together. What a Great Idea!

Click on the following link to learn more about Soil Secrets “White
Lightning” mycorrhizal inoculant:

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Why not decorate a
Living Christmas Tree this Holiday Season? Buy a potted Pine or Spruce for your
holiday tree this season and enjoy it's wonderful scent! Then after the
holidays plant your tree permanently outside and enjoy it for years to come. It
can be decorated outdoors each holiday season so you'll get seasonal enjoyment
every year!

The Nursery has
several Christmas tree varieties available including: Austrian Black Pines,

Different container
sizes are available also so there is probably one that will fit your space....

Care is simple!
Basically keep your potted Christmas tree watered while in the drying home
environment. After the Holidays remember to re-acclimate your tree to the cold
outdoor temperatures before permanently planting. This is a requirement to help
your trees survival outdoors because if the tree was inside for an extended
time, like 2-3 weeks, it may come out of dormancy and resume growth.

Acclimation to the cold outside temperatures can be done several ways, for example, start with a few hours
outside then back inside. Alternatively move it to a sheltered porch or garage
that offers some protection from the cold first. Then after acclimation finally plant outside in its
permanent location.

Planting Tip: Pine and
Spruce trees do best in well-drained soils. They do not like heavy slow draining clay
soils. After planting your tree and watering for the first time be sure to
water that tree at least once every 3-4 weeks through the rest of winter to
ensure the root system does not dry out.

Friday, December 6, 2013

The
Chisos Red Oak, a native to New Mexico, makes a great landscaping specimen, and
are hardy enough for our frigid winter temperatures.

The
Chisos Red Oak is a fast growing tree with a canopy of up to 30’-35’ tall and
25’-30’ wide. It can grow as much as 4’ per season and has deep roots so can be
placed fairly close to structures like sidewalks, driveways, walls, or even
your home. Leaves turn a brilliant red-maroon in fall. Leaves usually remain on
the trees into spring sporting a chocolate brown color. The photo below shows
Chisos Red Oak foliage on a frigid 17 degree morning with heavy frost!

Trees
That Please Nursery grows the Chisos Red Oak from acorns collected from wild
populations. We have them available in 5 and 15 gallon container sizes ready
for late fall and winter planting.